Darkness Relinquished
by Lord Tenthredon
Summary: Regina ripped the darkness out of her, because she was tired of it weighing her down. But when she realized the Evil Queen survived, everything changed. When she realized the Evil Queen could only die if she died, she pondered all her options; suicide, leaving Storybrooke. But she then decided the only option was to absorb the Queen back, and finally free herself for good.


**A/N: This is my first OUAT story and honestly I'm kind of excited! After watching the end of Season 5 when Regina split herself between good and evil, it got me thinking, and then after Season 6A ended, I was like, what if I wrote my own alternate ending. Instead of the Evil Queen dying, or Regina dying or both, what if Regina reabsorbed her darkness and finally came to terms that she is both dark and light, and everyone accepts her for it? Because honestly, Regina has saved everyone countless times, and she tore apart the biggest part of herself. So this is my ending of Season 6, hope you guys like it!**

 **Summary: Regina ripped the darkness out of her, because she was tired of it weighing her down. But when she realized the Evil Queen survived, everything changed. When she realized the Evil Queen could only die if she died, she pondered all her options; suicide, leaving Storybrooke, but she couldn't do that to her son or to her friends. So she came to the only plausible decision; reabsorb the Evil Queen and come to terms with her darkness. She just prayed that everyone else could come to terms with it as well.**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own the amazingness that is OUAT!**

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Regina gasped her eyes fluttered open, her breath coming out in rampant attempts to grasp air. She had just awoken from another nightmare of Robin's death; a dream that had haunted her since the night it had happened. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Robin being blasted by that Olympian Crystal, and every night she awoke gasping for air and tears in her eyes. However, she had to remain composed, for she had a bigger problem; the Evil Queen. About a month or so ago, she had used a serum created by Dr. Jekyll to split her dark and light halves in two. When she injected the serum, her darkness was ripped from her and became the Evil Queen. She had believed the Queen to be dead after she had crushed her heart, but in reality, the Evil Queen couldn't die without Regina herself dying; an option that Emma, Henry and the rest would not allow. She had contemplated all her options; suicide, which would destroy the Evil Queen, but she couldn't do that to Henry and all her friends. She had also thought about taking the Evil Queen out of Storybrooke, knowing the Queen could do little in a world without magic, but she knew that the Queen would find someway to return and continue to seek her vengeance on Snow White. Eventually she had come to the conclusion that she needed to reabsorb the Evil Queen; for she knew that what the Dragon had told her in New York was right; this was her struggle, and instead of handling it on her own, she had condemned her son and her friends to her cause, and it had caused so much pain. The others were of course happy to help Regina rid herself of her darkness, but she knew deep down that the Evil Queen was a part of her. As much as she hated to admit it, the Evil Queen had helped her accomplish a lot. She cast the curse, which led to her finding Henry, and she had taught Regina how to have no fear, how to be strong. Regina knew of course that darkness did not make her strong, but it was a big component in how she became as strong as she was now. Rumple was right; the Evil Queen was who she was, her darkness was just as big a part of her as the light. She just needed to find a way to reabsorb the Queen and find a way to contain her darkness for good. She knew Snow White and Charming would be against it, and they had no magic, so they were of no use in this situation. Her best bet was to console with Emma, or even her sister, as they would be the only two who would possibly conform to her reigning her darkness in again. Sighing, she rose from her bed and walked towards her closet, trying to find a decent outfit to wear. She eventually decided on her favorite black coat, and after changing into her black boots, she waved her palm; her first destination was Zelena's place, for she knew that her first step was mending things with her sister. She knew it was wrong to blame Zelena for Robin's death, she wasn't even sure why she had accused Zelena of it in the first place. Zelena had comforted her through every aching moment after his death, even naming her own child after him. Her sister had worked so hard to become a better person and fix things between them, and because of one mistake, that relationship was hanging by a thread. However, Regina knew she had to try. Waving her hand, she vanished in a puff of purple smoke, she reappeared outside of Zelena's farmhouse, and she continued towards the little shack.

"Zelena!" she called out, hoping her sister was still awake at this hour.

Sure enough, a puff of green smoke collected before her, and Zelena appeared, her eyes fixing her with a quizzical gaze, "What're you doing here Regina? I was sure you wouldn't return after you basically wrote me off," she said, her tone edged with a bit of annoyance.

Regina sighed, "That's what I'm here to talk about. May I come inside?" she asked, her eyes trailing towards the door of the farmhouse.

After a few seconds, Zelena sighed, "Come on then," she said, and she turned back towards the farmhouse, and Regina followed. Once they were inside, they placed themselves opposite each other at the kitchen table, Zelena using her magic to light the fire to give them a bit of light and warmth.

Zelena then fixed Regina with another one of her signature quizzical looks, "So what do you want to talk about?" the witch asked, clearly wanting to get this conversation over with.

Regina sighed, "I wanted to apologize. I know how hard you've tried to become a better person and I know I haven't made it any easier for you. I know Robin's death wasn't your fault, and I don't know why I even accused you of it in the first place. I know things aren't easy between us right now, but if you're open to it, I'd like another chance to be your sister," she said, placing her hand on Zelena's, so her sister would know she was sincere.

Zelena looked at her, her green eyes alight with surprise, "Are you serious? Because after everything that happened with the Evil Queen, I have been a bit lonely out here with just the baby and I. I wanted to reach out also, but I wasn't sure how you'd react," she said, and she glanced at the fire for a moment before returning her gaze to Regina.

Regina nodded, "I understand and you have every right to be angry with me. But if you're up for it, I'd like you and Robin to both move back in with me and we can start fresh," she said, her red lips parting in a smile.

Zelena pondered this for a moment, and nodded, "I don't see why not. But mending our relationship isn't the only reason you stopped here is it? I know you well enough to know you have more than one reason for anything you do," she said, removing her hand from underneath Regina's.

Regina nodded again, "You're right. That wasn't my only motive. Lately I've been pondering about how to truly beat the Evil Queen. To be honest, I've considered a lot of options, things like suicide, kicking her out of Storybrooke, but then I came to one conclusion that could both defeat the Evil Queen, and also spare my friends and family from any pain. We need to send the Evil Queen back where she came from," she exclaimed, hoping Zelena would catch on to her meaning.

Zelena looked at her, surprised once more, "You don't mean… you want to reabsorb her?" she asked, her voice filled with astonishment.

Regina sighed, "I should've never condemned the town to her wrath, I should've kept our fight between me and her. If I reabsorb her, perhaps I can finally accept the fact that the darkness is just a much a part of me as the light, and then maybe I will finally be at peace with myself," she explained, hoping Zelena would agree to this course of action.

A few moments of silence passed and then Zelena looked up, "So why do you need me? The Queen wrote me off, so I don't know how I can help," she said, rising from her seat and walking towards Robin's crib after she heard her daughter coo.

Regina walked to stand next to her, smiling as she looked upon her niece's face, "I need you to cast the spell to put us back together, kind of like how Rumple absorbed his son. If someone else does it, the absorption becomes permanent, at least that's what I read in mother's spellbook," she said, moving aside a little so Zelena could take Robin out of the crib.

Zelena turned to Regina, cradling Robin her arms, "Yes, I can cast it, but I don't know how we are going to get close enough to the Queen to cast it," she said, continuing to cradle the baby.

Regina had already figured that part out, "She spends her time holed up in my office, but I know she will let me approach her, since she can't harm me without harming herself. I will go to the office and subdue her, then you appear and cast the spell. Does that sound like a plan?" she asked.

Setting Robin back in her crib, Zelena turned to her and nodded, "Sounds good. Just teleport me in when you're ready. Good luck sis," she said, hugging Regina tightly. Regina returned the hug, smiling as she had truly missed her sister. They hadn't been close long, but Regina had grown to care for older sister; they were family and Regina knew how much both of them valued family,

Regina walked out of the farmhouse, for she had one more stop to make before going to confront her evil counterpart. Waving her palm, she teleported herself to Emma's.

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Appearing on Emma's porch, she knocked, "Swan! Are you awake?" she asked, waiting for an answer.

After a couple seconds, the door open, a tired-looking Emma staring at her, "What are you doing here Regina? It's three in the morning!" she exclaimed, and Regina felt a pang of guilt for waking the blonde up.

Regina sighed, "Sorry to wake you, but I need the antimagic cuff, I know you took it back after we removed it off Zelena," she said, hoping Emma would hand it over.

Emma looked at her, confused, "Why do you need it? Is Zelena bothering you again?" she questioned, her eyes filled with genuine concern.

Regina shook her head, "No, I'm going to go use it on the Queen. I decided to reabsorb her and deal with her myself. I just need a way to subdue her magic so Zelena can cast the spell to put us back together," she quickly explained.

Emma nodded, knowing she couldn't deter the former Queen, and she vanished inside for a second before returning with the cuff, "Here you go. If you need any backup, call me. But I am glad you are finally confronting your darkness. I believe in you, Regina," she said, and she shut the door, leaving Regina with a smile on her face.

"Time to go confront the Queen," she said, and she teleported to the front of the mayoral building, knowing that the Queen was just sitting up there, waiting for someone to come challenge her. Gathering her courage, Regina entered the building and made her way up the steps to the door of her office, and she paused. This was it; if she succeeded her tonight, the Evil Queen would no longer be a problem. With a twist of the knob, she opened the door, not surprised to see the Queen sitting at her desk, a drink in her hand.

The Queen looked up at her, a wicked smile on her face, "Regina! I was wondering when you'd come pay me a visit," she said, grinning at her.

Regina sighed, "We were going to have to confront each other eventually. So I figured why wait?" she said, walking towards the desk until she was facing the Queen directly.

The Queen rose from the chair, and met Regina's level gaze, "So you finally decided to submit yourself? Was the darkness too strong for a 'valiant hero' such as yourself?" she taunted, walking around the desk so she was behind Regina now.

Regina grinned, "I just came for a drink," she said, handing the Queen the drink she had set on the desk, and she then magically appeared one of her own.

The Queen gave her an astonished look, "What's the catch?" she asked, her voice filled with hesitation.

Regina shook her head, "I think it's finally time we realize that one can't exist without the other. So a toast to us," she said, and she raised her glass to toast with the Queen. As soon as the Queen clinked her glass against Regina's, her cup magically transformed into the antimagic cuff, and it bound itself to the Queen's wrist.

The Queen looked at her, unimpressed, "I figured it was a trick, but I had to give it a go. What're you going to do now? Crush my heart for a second time? Ha! You can't kill me, not without destroying yourself," she said, chuckling slightly.

Regina waved her hand and Zelena materialized into the room, causing the Queen to reel back in surprise, "Bringing our wicked sister can't help your odds. She's just as weak as you are!" she exclaimed, cringing as Zelena looked at her, obviously pained by her words.

Regina then walked forward and slapped the Queen across the face, "Listen here, your Majesty, your reign over Storybrooke ends today. Our sister here is going to cast a spell to place you back inside me. I made a huge mistake when I let my darkness out, and its caused so many problems. But I will no longer be party to your insanity, so it stops here!" she shouted, nodding at Zelena. Waving her hand, Zelena cast the spell, and suddenly the Queen began flickering, as if she were some holographic image.

The Queen looked at Regina, her eyes full of betrayal, "You can't do this! What about all that fresh start nonsense? Just let me go and be happy with your sister and Henry. Let me be free! You don't know how torturous it is to sit inside you, not able to do anything because you're too busy playing hero and suppressing your darkness. Things were so much easier when you were evil!" she shouted, her voice booming throughout the office.

Regina ignored her, a look of triumph on her face, "Goodbye, Queenie," she said, and the Queen turned into pure magic energy and it flowed towards Regina, vanishing as it attached itself to her.

Zelena rushed towards her sister, who began stumbling as if she had become disorientated, "Are you alright, Regina?" she asked, waiting for her sister to regain her composure.

After a few seconds, Regina nodded, "I feel just as I did before I let the Queen out. Now I only ask this because I'm not sure what comes next, but please leave me be for a while. Go ahead and get your things to my place so you can start moving back in. I will return home soon," she said, her voice sounded hollow and tired.

Zelena nodded and vanished in a puff of green smoke, leaving Regina to fight her last battle against the darkness. Walking towards the mirror, she raised her palm and closed her eyes. Concentrating, she waved her a palm and her reflection turned into the Evil Queen, who glared back at Regina with intense anger.

The Queen sighed, "Well now I guess we are back together. Thanks for throwing me away and then taking me back. Make up your mind Regina, are you good or evil? No more of this back and forth!" the Queen reflection shouted.

Regina fixed her reflection with a firm gaze, "I am both. I started out on the side of good and fell into the darkness, I let it consume me. But then I found my son, I found friends and I found love, and so I climbed my way back up. Then I came face to face with my darkness literally, and realized why you are who you are. You represent all the pain that we went through, every loss and sad moment created you. And I am the representation of all the good memories, the light and love we found in our life. Good is created from evil and evil is created from good. One cannot exist without the other. I spent too long trying to run from my darkness that I forgot that it was also who I was. Sure, I did terrible things, unspeakable things, but at the same time, I did some good things too. So yes, I know you aren't happy, but someday you can be," she said, looking at the Queen with a deep gaze.

The Queen sighed and shrugged, "Whatever. Not much I can do about it now, so have it your way," she said, and the reflection shimmered until it was just regular Regina again. Sighing, she walked out of the office, feeling more determined than ever.

Arriving at her house, she smiled as she saw Zelena inside, shuffling boxes around and getting things situated. She entered the house and smiled even wider as she saw Henry sitting at the kitchen table making funny faces at baby Robin who was sitting in the highchair across from him.

Turning at the sound of the door, Henry hurried over to Regina, "Aunt Zelena told me what happened. Did it work? Is the Queen really gone?" he asked, his eyes filled with concern.

Regina nodded, "She's back where she belongs. I may not like everything I did as the Queen, but I will always be thankful that she got me you," she said, she pulled Henry into her embrace, taking in all the comfort she needed in this hug from her son.

After a few seconds, Zelena came towards them, smiling, "You did it sis," she said, smiling.

Regina took her hand, "Thanks to you. Come, I'll help you unpack," she said, and together, they, along with Henry went into the living room and began sorting through boxes. Regina smiled as she looked around, and for the first time, in a long time, her smile was out of pure genuine happiness. She could feel the Queen stir inside her, but her desire for darkness was nowhere near as strong as it was now. She did it, she had overcome her darkness and she had one. Regina was finally free.

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 **A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed it! I really needed to take a break and get back into the writing spirit. As far as my other stories, I am currently working on the chapters. They will be posted sometime next week! Anyway don't forget to drop a review and follow and favorite! Thanks!**


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